CONTROVERSIAL plans to create a one-way system around Usk - which would have cut straight through the town centre - have been scrapped following a period of “intense lobbying” by residents.

Proposals to make the section of the A472 through the town a one-way system were announced in February, but were quickly met with opposition, with the petition calling for the plans to be ditched gaining more than 1,000 signatures and posters with messages such as "No to the A472 One-Way" appearing in windows throughout the town.

And now Usk Town Council has confirmed the project, which would have been carried out by engineering company ARUP Consultancy, has been scrapped.

Residents had said making the A472 a one-way system would move traffic elsewhere in the town, increasing bottlenecks.

A statement released on the town council’s social media pages reads: “UTC gave much thought to the views of residents. We also took advice from consultants and Monmouthshire County Council officers. It was agreed unanimously that the proposed one-way system was not viable.”

A spokeswoman for Monmouthshire council said: “Consultation into the initial ideas generated a great deal of opposition to a one-way system through the town, so the consultants have been asked to revisit the draft report to bring forward other ideas for submission to the councils.

"However the concept of creating a better and safer environment for active travel (walking and cycling) remains a priority in the plan."

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Resident Tony Kear has praised the council for listening to residents’ concerns, and said he hopes other plans, including the reorganisation of Twyn Square, can be revisited after lockdown.

“What people have recognised is that there is a need for change in Usk, and a lot of the proposals in the plan were good ideas,” he said. “The general consensus was that you can’t redirect traffic – especially large HGVs from the A472 to other parts of the town.”

Many residents have called for a banning of HGVs in the town, or traffic measures in order to prevent large vehicles meeting in narrow roads.